You always find the latest and greatest stuff out there. How do you do it? How can you possibly know about EVERYTHING that's on shelves? Have you found anything you really like lately? Some secret items that no one knows about? Spill it!

Product-Monger

Dear Product-Monger,

I, too, am a "product-monger", and I try really hard to find all the newest things around. The reason HG is so good at finding everything is because we get a lot of help. Of course, the HG staffers are constantly on the lookout for new products. Also, subscribers are ALWAYS emailing in with their finds. (Thanks, guys. Keep 'em coming!) And remember, there are almost 600,000 HG subscribers out there, so that's close to 1,200,000 eyeballs on the case! And then there are all the food companies and PR firms that send boxes and boxes of food to the HG HQ. We get around 10 - 15 boxes a week delivered to us, and they're packed with all the newest foods. That's why HG is THE place to hear about anything and everything new. As for some of the best items to come my way recently, here you go...

1. A very obscure, 15-calorie-per-tablespoon, tangy jarred antipasto with veggies and tuna from somethingspecialdeli.com is one of my new BFFs. I know it sounds weird, but it is FANTASTIC! It's great STRAIGHT, on salads, and as an addition to wraps. And a 2-tbsp. serving has a POINTS® value of 0*.

2. Fiber One Toaster Pastries debuted a little while back, but now they're popping up everywhere. And while these aren't exactly a "secret", they are still a bit under the radar. These are the ultimate snack for fiber-loving Pop-Tart enthusiasts.

What are your thoughts on Vitaminwater and all the other bottled waters that are infused with vitamins, caffeine, flavors, etc.? I'm so curious.

Water Water Everywhere

Dear Water Water,

I'm a bit of a purist when it comes to water. I believe that anything called "water" shouldn't have many calories or much of anything added to it at all. So all of those flavored, sweetened, vitamin-and-otherwise-infused waters are NOT the real thing, in my opinion. Many of them contain 100 - 150 calories per bottle. That's insane! Read labels carefully when buying bottled water, and make sure to check the serving size and servings per container (there are often 2 - 3 servings in each bottle). There are, however, some flavored waters that I do drink. I tend to go for the ones that have 30 calories or less per bottle (not per serving!), and I never ever fool myself into thinking they are water replacements. (Even at a reasonable 30 calories each, they add up fast!) To me, those are more like diet soda replacements. So I still drink all of my water for the day, and just drink the flavored ones as additional beverages. We recently got a sneak-sip of the very latest Aquafina FlavorSplash varieties (on shelves this coming February) -- those are very lightly sweetened, calorie-free, and amazingly good. There are some waters that are flavored with just fruit essence or extracts (like Hint Water and Metromint), and they don't have any calories at all. Those are more like regular water than any of the others. But I agree with the experts on this one -- there's no real replacement for pure water. So drink up that H2O!

CHEW ON THIS:November is National Pepper Month. So start chompin' on some healthy and delicious bell peppers. Any color will do, people!

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*The Points® values for these products and/or recipes were calculated by Hungry Girl and are not an endorsement or approval of the product, recipe or its manufacturer or developer by Weight Watchers International, Inc., the owner of the Points® registered trademark.